The Cabin. Between Tradition and Modernity
Welcome to a conference about the cabin as a distinct architectural phenomenon, and its various inherent contradictions.
The simple cabin, or summerhouse, was an important design exercise for post-war architects. It offered scope to explore interactions between structure, site, landscape, and local materials, without the interference of urban surroundings. For many in the Nordic countries, the summerhouse is a symbol of a supposedly distinctive regional affinity for nature, characterised by outdoor activities and a simpler lifestyle.
Paradoxically, this yearning for nature and a simpler lifestyle has, in the Nordic countries, led to the development of numerous summerhouse estates in coastal and mountain areas with a need for substantial infrastructure and restriction of access for non-residents.
The seminar is open to all, but you need a ticket to participate. Price: 200 kroner, 50 kroner for students, which includes simple refreshments. The number of places is limited, and you can choose to participate in only the daytime or evening program with the same ticket. The conference venue is the Auditorium of the National Museum. You can buy tickets here.
The conference is a prelude to an exhibition that will open in the National Museum in 2026 about Wenche Selmer (1920–1998), one of the foremost cabin architects of the post-war period. Despite their simplicity and economical design, Selmer’s cabins are often located in places of natural beauty, thus symbolising their inherent contradictions: between the simple and the exclusive, the traditional and the modern.